New reverse tulip species discovered in Diyarbakır is included in the literature
The reverse tulip species discovered in Diyarbakır’s Çermik district was introduced to the world of science with the name “Çermik tulip”.
According to a statement released by Ege University, nature lover Muhammed Yalçın, who was hiking in the countryside of Çermik, shared the photos of the yellow-colored inverted tulip he saw at the bottom of the rocks with academics who are experts in this field.
Ege University Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Department of Botany Prof. Dr. Hasan Yıldırım, Aksaray University Department of Biology Prof. Dr. Mehtap Tekşen, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Maruf Balos, Dr. Cahit Çeçen and Specialist Biologist Veysel Sonay conducted studies on the species.
As a result of the studies, it was determined that the inverted tulip is a new species that has not been in the literature before.
“NUMBER OF REVERSE TULIP SPECIES IN TURKEY INCREASED TO 53”
Prof. Dr. Hasan Yıldırım said that the scientific article they prepared on the species was published in the Nordic Journal of Botany, one of the international taxonomic botanical journals.
Noting that they introduced the species to the scientific world with the name “Çermik tulip”, Prof. Dr. Yıldırım said, “The genus of reverse tulip (Fritillaria) is a genus with approximately 170 species distributed in the northern hemisphere. This genus has 3 important diversity centers. These centers are California with 21 species, China with 24 species and the third one is South West Asia, Eastern Mediterranean. In the third diversity center, there are 53 species in Turkey, 26 species in Greece and 18 species in Iran. In this context, Turkey has the highest number of reverse tulip species in the world. With the discovery of the Çermik tulip, the number of reverse tulip species in Turkey increased to 53. With this species, the number of reverse tulips endemic to our country has increased to 30. Proportionally, the rate of reverse tulip endemism in our country has increased to 56.6 percent.”
Yıldırım stated that the species has a very localized distribution and is known in a single population, adding that its biggest enemies in nature are pigs that feed on the bulbs of these plants. Stating that humans also pose a risk due to mining, field and road works and overgrazing, Yıldırım added that the relevant institutions should protect the plant in order to protect the new species.
